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This study uses the technology acceptance model (TAM) to help explain how the use of technology influences learning outcomes emanating from engagement with the Zoom video conference platform. To this end, structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among the TAM variables in reference to Zoom taught during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following a cross-sectional research design, data were collected using Davis's TAM (1989) scales including perceived ease of use (PEoU), perceived usefulness (PU), behavioral intentions, and attitude from 321 South Korean university students attending their 10

Learners in videoconference-mediated classrooms are expected to interact regardless of their varied demographic and behavioral characteristics, including susceptibility to foreign language (FL) anxiety. With a focus on apprehension, the present study aimed to better understand the influence students' FL anxiety has on the relationship between learner interactions and academic self-efficacy beliefs. To this end, questionnaire data was collected from 647 South Korean university students attending emergency remote online classes through Zoom's videoconference platform. Structural equation modeling was carried out to identify the mediating effect of FL classroom anxiety on the relationship between academic self-efficacy beliefs and interactions. Findings revealed full mediation on the path coefficient from learner-learner interaction to learning expectations, while no mediation effect was observed between learner-instructor interactions and learning expectations. Increasing levels of learner-learner interactions were associated with increasing FL anxiety, partly explaining the positive path between learner-learner interactions and expected academic performance. Unlike learner-instructor interactions, learner-learner interactions increase communication anxiety, consequently decreasing expected learning outcomes.

With higher education moving more towards online education and wider adoption of more flexible models of teaching, especially during and after COVID-19, faculty members at a small private university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made their first attempts at flipping. Given the lack of studies that examined the transitional period that instructors go through in their initial attempts to flip, this study explored the perceptions of instructors making the transition, where traditional teacher-centered approaches to teaching have prevailed. Their insights can be detrimental to its successful delivery and continued use. To achieve its objective, this research paper investigated the initial perceptions of the requirements of flipping from thirty-seven female faculty members across six different colleges. This study employed a qualitative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data elicited from interviews, surveys, and self-reflection reports, concluding that instructors transitioning into flipping cannot rely solely on their intuitive beliefs but need extensive training and guidance. The findings will inform instructors and institutions making the transition and will guide educators preparing for flipped classroom training workshops.

Pakistan being a young country is struggling to provide employment opportunities. However, entrepreneurship is a perceived strategy for reducing unemployment. The trend of entrepreneurship is also emerging among university students. Thus, the ratio of entrepreneurial intention and start-ups is also increasing among university students and graduates. Therefore, this study aims to examine the role of personality traits in the entrepreneurial intentions of young entrepreneurs. Considering this, qualitative methodology was employed with the case study as the research design. A single case of a university with three different departments was taken. In total, n = 9 entrepreneurs were purposely selected from business (n = 3), computer science (n = 3), and education (n = 3) departments. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis of their ventures and success stories. This study followed research ethics, including volunteer participation, confidentiality, and reciprocity. The collected data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings reveal three main themes: the desire to be an entrepreneur, learning attitude, and personality traits are the leading factors in the entrepreneurial intentions of students and graduates. However, within these themes, the effect of personality traits (consistency and determination, discipline and locus of control, and risk-taking and tolerance) is found to lead to entrepreneurial intentions among young entrepreneurs. This study concludes that most entrepreneurs believe that the role of personality traits is evident in entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, the personality traits are further strengthened with entrepreneurial experience and help continue entrepreneurship.

This study functioned as a digital literacy technique that aided in raising students' motivation and classroom dynamics in reviewing writing structure, terminologies, and related knowledge. This st...

During the COVID‐19 outbreak, students had to cope with succeeding in video‐conferencing classes susceptible to technical problems like choppy audio, frozen screens and poor Internet connection, leading to interrupted delivery of facial expressions and eye‐contact. For these reasons, agentic engagement during video‐conferencing became critical for successful learning outcomes. This study explores the mediating effect agentic engagement has on collaborative language learning orientations (CLLO) within an EFL video‐conferencing course to understand better how interactions influence academic learning expectations. A total of 329 (Male = 132, Female = 197) students were recruited from four South Korean universities to participate in this questionnaire study. Data analysis was carried out using the statistical software packages SPSS, and a series of data screening procedures were carried out. Findings revealed that collaborative language learning orientations were a statistically significant predictor of academic learning expectations, but this relationship was fully mediated when agentic engagement was added to the model. Students with a propensity for social language learning strategies believe they will succeed; however, this relationship is explained by their propensity to interact with the instructor when video‐conferencing. An assortment of learning activities should be provided to support both collaborative and individual learning orientations for academic success. Students with collaborative learning tendencies and a propensity to actively engage the instructor during video conference classes are active participants in the eLearning context, possibly leading to positive course expectations.

Reflection and reflective practices are integral to teacher education; therefore, this study contributes to the growing literature on reflective practice by uncovering gender differences. The study explored the influence of gender differences and teaching experience on postsecondary instructors' conscious reflective teaching practice, using a survey of 226 male and 207 female EFL instructors working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The results indicated that females scored higher than males on the total English Language Teaching Reflection Inventory (ELTRI) scores, except on the critical factor of the ELTRI, where males outperformed. The results also revealed that experienced instructor participants had a significantly higher score on the total ELTRI than novice instructor participants. The study proposes a tangible, flexible resource for reflective practices of applied, cognitive, affective, metacognitive, and critical reflection, and offers assistance to counter gender differences. The study recommends designing guides with effective and valid instruments for fostering reflective teaching practices. Policymakers in higher institutions should prepare systematic programs and provide remedial resources and events for instructors to target the most challenging areas for both genders. Future research should also consider other factors, such as the academic degree, cultural background, and linguistic differences that might affect the instructors' knowledge and reflective practice.

Intrinsic value is related to intrinsic motivation and influences learners’ decisions to begin, continue, and return to learning tasks. In the context of a fully online foreign language English course, we used structural equation modeling to explore the motivation for asynchronous collaborative writing practice, motivation for video-synchronous speaking practice, course satisfaction, and the mediating effect course satisfaction has on behavioral intentions to use language learning technology. Cross-sectional survey results (n = 186) revealed that students who were motivated by asynchronous online collaborative writing were more likely to enjoy online learning in general when compared to students who reported motivation for video-synchronous online speaking practice. Moreover, the relationship between motivation for collaborative writing and behavioral intentions to use language learning technology was mediated by course satisfaction. A follow-up open-ended survey (n = 65) revealed that students held positive views for online second language writing and speaking practice overall but for distinctly different reasons. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for modeling e-learning approaches with significance for promoting instructional training effectiveness and transformative learning.

It can be argued that multimodal digital literacy practices promote the development of literacy skills needed for today’s world without being constrained to one mode of learning. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the employment of multimodal practices during instruction within EFL classrooms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is minimal and fraught with obstacles to its effective utilization. It is, therefore, essential to determine whether this is the case and, if so, to develop strategies that would ameliorate this situation. This study, therefore, sought to identify KSA postsecondary EFL instructors’ self-reporting of their use of various types of technology, computer software, and online software; the different teaching/learning and assessment strategies that they employ; the obstacles they face with the use of technology in their classrooms; and their beliefs about the use of multimodal digital literacy practices for teaching and learning. The study, which was based on the premises of social semiotic theory, utilized a mixed-methods design from which survey and focus group interview data were triangulated. The findings demonstrated that while most postsecondary EFL instructors have a strong positive attitude towards multimodal digital literacy practices and make robust use of specific types of technology and software programs, obstacles prevent these practices from being more widely and frequently deployed in the KSA. Suggestions for how to make a transformation to a more pronounced use of multimodal practices happen, and the limitations to the study are also presented.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to explore the effects of students’ interactions with video lectures on the levels of collaboration and completeness of their group note-taking. Background: There has been an increase in the amount of online learning over the last 20 years. With video lectures becoming an increasingly utilized instructional modality, it is essential to consider students’ interactions with videos and the subsequent effect of those interactions on collaboration. Methodology: This research used a combination of survey data about student interactions with video lectures and evidence of student-to-student interactions from a sample of 149 masters and Ph.D. students at a university in South Korea. Contribution: To date, limited research has been conducted on the effect of student interactions with online instructional videos and that interaction’s effect on collaborative note-taking. Past research has examined the effects of lecture-watching behaviors and collaborative note-taking separately, and this paper looks at their relationship with one another. Findings: This paper has two main findings. The first is that interacting more with video lectures increases the amount that students interact with each other. The second is that these higher levels of interaction with videos do not impact the completeness of student note-taking. Recommendations for Practitioners: These findings of this paper suggest that instructors should encourage students to utilize active viewing strategies, as doing so will increase interaction among students, which will subsequently benefit their levels of collaboration. Recommendation for Researchers: This research shows the value of drawing links between aspects of learner consumption of instructional media and other aspects of their learning, particularly collaboration. Impact on Society: The importance of effective instruction and increasing collaboration in online learning is of great value now, particularly so, as much instruction is being delivered in online formats. Future Research: Future research should seek further to understand the relationships between aspects of instruction and collaboration. More specifically, future research could look into clickstream data and collaboration.

The rise of the internet has generated a need for fast online translations, which human translators cannot meet. Statistical tools such as Google and Baidu Translate provide automatic translation from one written language to another. This study reports the descriptive comparison of the machine-translation (MT) with human translation (HT), considering the metadiscoursal interactional features. The study uses a parallel corpus consisting of 79 texts translated from Chinese to English by professional human translators and machine translations (Baidu translate & Google translate) and a comparable reference corpus of non-translated English text. The statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between Baidu and Google translate regarding all types of metadiscoursal indicators. However, the findings of this study demonstrate significant disparities in the interactional characteristics of various HT and MT groups. Compared to the metadiscourse features in non-translated English political texts, human translators were found to outperform machine translations in the use of attitude markers. In contrast, the distribution of directives in machine-translated texts is more native-like. In addition, MT and HT have utilized a significantly smaller number of hedges, self-mention, and readers than non-translated texts. Our results indicate that the MT systems, though still calling for further improvement, have shown tremendous growth potential and may complement human translators.

Reflection occurs as a learning process in which thoughts are consequential and continuously improved upon. The current research examined teacher reflection by examining the influence of multilingualism and professional development activities on teacher reflection levels. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS employing 226 male and 207 female EFL instructors teaching in Saudi Arabia. Variables were grouped into languages spoken and professional development activities. Inferential statistics (i.e., descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA) were utilized. The findings revealed that reflective practices varied significantly due to the languages spoken. The mean of the total English Language Teaching Reflection Inventory (ELTRI) for participants who performed the professional development activity is higher than for those who did not. Further, participants who collaborated with colleagues were mentored, self-studied, and took courses illustrated a significantly higher total score on the ELTRI. When designing professional development curricula, a greater focus on particular reflection training should be more appropriate depending on completed professional benchmarks. These implications and the future direction of this study highlight the dynamic influence of multilingualism in reflective practices. Henceforward, the study suggests the imperative need to provide teachers with professional development programs for training them and elevate their awareness of the effectiveness of reflective teaching practices.

The use of worked examples has been shown to be an effective instructional method for reducing cognitive load and successfully engaging in problem-solving. Extant research often views worked examples as an integrated part of direct instruction. Studies have examined the problem-solving effects of worked examples used in tandem with instructional explanations. However, a gap exists in research focusing on the individual problem-solving effects of example-free instructional explanations and worked examples containing no instructional explanation. This study uses a method in which worked examples are separated from direct instruction to examine the problem-solving effects of individual parts of such instruction, namely example-free instruction and worked examples containing no instructional explanation. Considering the importance of critical thinking skills in the current educational environment, the current study was conducted on a group of university students (n = 32) studying critical thinking in South Korea. Results showed that example-free instruction was more effective for problem-solving than worked examples containing no instructional explanation. Additionally, participants reported more efficient cognitive processing ability when critical thinking problems were presented through instructional explanation rather than worked examples. These results allow for a granular look at the different aspects of direct instruction and their effects on cognitive load and problem-solving., Cognitive load, critical thinking, direct instruction, example-based instruction, example-free instruction, instructional explanations, problem-solving, germane load, worked examples

Pedagogical chatbots are used to elicit information from students. Yet, how the amount of student-generated content differs according to the type of chatbot-delivered questions is unknown. To this end, 19 South Korean English majors completed six chatbot assignments through an in-house developed Facebook Messenger chatbot. The chatbot activity entailed creating original stories for class presentations. In addition to directives requesting plot details, the chatbot used closed-ended button reply questions, open-ended questions, and fill-in-the-blank template statements to help students create stories. Results indicated that button reply questions allowed for pacing, recall and content assessment and required low levels of critical thinking. Next, open-ended questions and fill-in-the-blank template statements resulted in similar word count production but different levels of creativity and critical thinking. Lastly, directives requesting user input resulted in 35% more output, indicating students took more action when told to do something than when asked. Regarding the novelty effect, fewer students volunteered to do the sixth and final chatbot activity, but those who did produced word count on par with their initial chatbot activity.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected the entire globe, and various mythologies argue about its diagnosis, cure, and prevention. Globally, as of September 18th, 2020, there have been 30.055 million confirmed cases, including 0.943 million deaths. The nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world’s student population. This study aimed to explore the social distancing policies and universities’ reopening after COVID-19 in G20 countries (19 member countries and the European Union). Design and Methods: The study is based on documentary analysis. G20 members represent around 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the global population (including more than half of the world’s poor), and 75% of international trade. Based on documentary analysis, the study revealed that there is a policy dilemma among G20 countries regarding school reopening and a variety of conflicting policies within each country. Results: Based on a sample of 838 universities in the USA, 66% of universities (552 of 838) plan for in-person instruction, while only 7% are planning for a completely online teaching mode in the fall 2020 semester. Conclusions: Interestingly, none of the private universities in this study are planning to implement an online teaching mode. Policymakers need an integrated set of policy guidelines for school reopening, considering the evaluation of current COVID- 19 pandemic circumstances and social distancing capacity. Significance for public health According to UNESCO, most governments worldwide have temporarily closed educational institutions to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to nationwide closures are impacting hundreds of millions of students. Recently, several countries have implemented localized social distancing policy to open schools. In the background of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic globally, the study reveals that school reopening policy guidelines are very important because gathering more students may spread the virus.

Background: The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in a drastic alteration to billions of individuals’ emotional, physical, mental, social, and financial status. As of July 21st, 2020, there had been 14.35 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 0.60 million deaths in 216 countries. Design and Methods: The study explores health and wellbeing in universities within the G20 countries (19 member countries and the European Union) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample selection of these countries was considered since it serves around 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the global population (including more than half of the world’s poor), and 75% of international trade. Specifically, due to this public health concern, schools’ nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world’s student population to promote their quality of life and well-being. Results: This study investigates the G20 policies and procedures within higher education regarding health and well-being measures during the COVID-19 epidemic. The findings reveal that the lockdown, social distancing, and self-isolation requirements are stressful and detrimental for many individuals and have caused students’ health and well-being concerns. Conclusions: Several countries within the G20 have taken significant steps to support health and well-being issues for university students; however, numerous countries are far behind in addressing this issue. Hence, government leaders of G20 countries, policymakers, and health providers should promptly take the necessary measures to regulate the outbreak, improve safety measures to decrease disease transmission, and administer those who demand medical attention. Significance for public health Mental health and well-being during the covid-19 pandemic in higher education is critical to be investigated as it influences hundreds of millions of instructors’ and students. The study reveals that government leaders of G20 countries, policymakers, and health providers should promptly take the necessary measures to regulate the outbreak, improve safety measures to decrease disease transmission, and manage those who demand medical attention.

The research reported here represents a qualitative case study that engaged teachers as participants over a prolonged period, examining their teaching practices and agentive roles in the language development of their students. This study draws on a social constructivist framework and transformative learning theory, both of which approach the learner as an agentive self and in the socio-cultural context of language learning. Data collection took place at an all-female university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It includes face-to-face semi-structured interviews of six teachers from two different classrooms, classroom observations (of two of the six teachers), and audio recordings of instructional practices. The findings reveal that the implementation of autonomous learning is a significant factor in students’ intrinsic engagement and motivation to develop vocabulary knowledge. This study aims to offer guidance to language teachers and researchers who advocate for learner autonomy and innovative classroom practices. It recommends new strategies for cultivating learner autonomy in English education, both in the KSA classroom and elsewhere.

Purpose An examination of the research literature suggests that no attempt has been made to examine learner autonomy development within female university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Given that English has become the world’s predominant lingua franca for academia, business, and politics, the purpose of this paper, therefore, is to fill this gap in the literature. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative case study that aims to explore learner autonomy in vocabulary development. Findings The results showed that teachers are cognizant of the concept of learner autonomy. However, they are not all certain of the benefits of autonomous vocabulary learning. This study reveals how six adult learners’ levels of autonomy are highly influenced by their teachers’ practices. This study draws out suggestions for English language teachers who promote learner autonomy theory and practice. It also offers specific guidance, models, and adapted learning approaches of how to promote autonomy inside the classroom. Research limitations/implications This study encountered several limitations. The first is time: the study took place over the course of two months in the Summer of 2016, when students were fully encumbered with schoolwork and social duties. The recruitment of participants during that time was a challenge. Some of the students who agreed to participate in the study were not fully engaged in the research. Additionally, the study faced difficulties with faculty commitment – one of the professors delayed the interview session multiple times and perceived some of the interview questions negatively. In addition, Dickinson’s (1993) characteristics of learner autonomy are largely related to the opportunities that are presented to the students by the teacher. It appears that Dickinson’s scale was meant to be used to identify students’ level of autonomy, particularly inside the classroom. However, because of some of the examples of activities pertaining to how they learned vocabulary outside the classroom, they were not related to classroom teaching. Also, the number of the participants is limited in this study. Practical implications A future study could be undertaken to measure and quantitatively analyze learners’ vocabulary development on a larger scale. Research could also be conducted using a pretest, an intervention, and a posttest to measure the effectiveness of learning vocabulary autonomously. In addition, other pedagogical approaches could be utilized to measure EFL students’ intrinsic motivation and autonomy, which play critical roles in learning. Allowing learners to self-select their preferred method of learning can help them to develop their vocabulary knowledge. The findings from this study reveal that learner autonomy plays a significant role in enhancing EFL students’ vocabulary development. Originality/value When students learn vocabulary autonomously, they are better able to source the lingua franca’s core pronunciation of a word and its spelling without the influence of the teacher’s cultural background. Given the magnitude of teachers’ workloads, they may lack the time for designing lessons that adequately meet the needs of diverse learners. Therefore, the practical way to ameliorate the problem of inadequate time is to provide them with methods (e.g. using strategies such as inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, and project-based learning) that they can use to more readily foster learner autonomy.

This research aims to evaluate the level of postsecondary student satisfaction with online learning platforms and learning experiences during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This paper is based on the premise of transformative learning theories [1], which describe the learners’ authority and investment over their learning. Quantitative research was carried out using a survey that was sent out to 283 students enrolled at one higher education institution in KSA. These data were analyzed using SPSS. Average Mean Score (AMS) was used for data analysis, where the results are validated using the Standard Deviation (SD), Skewness and Kurtosis test, and Cronbach Alpha test. The research findings revealed that the students are satisfied with the university staff and faculty members who agreed on specific online platforms to use, grading system, assessment options, training workshops, online technical support, and more. The research findings also showed that participants were highly satisfied with Google Hangouts the most for lecture delivery, followed by Google Classroom and LMS (Moodle) for course management and assessments. With only respect to the students’ online learning experiences, the COVID-19 situation within this study context was handled adequately. This study calls for further research into the integration of professional development workshops and practical training courses for online learning and teaching to endorse innovative teaching techniques and alternative assessment plans for instructors, learners, administrators, and policymakers.